[e] (0) Try to clarify placeholder='s role in life.

Fixing https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=17937 Affected topics: HTML git-svn-id: http://svn.whatwg.org/webapps@7363 340c8d12-0b0e-0410-8428-c7bf67bfef74
whatwg · Sep 17, 2012 · 73c5e9d · 73c5e9d
1 parent 3ec1d5f
commit 73c5e9d
Showing 1 changed file with 44 additions and 19 deletions.
diff --git a/source b/source
@@ -60845,22 +60845,30 @@ You cannot submit this form when the field is incorrect.</samp></pre>
 
   <h6>The <code title="attr-input-placeholder">placeholder</code> attribute</h6>
 
-  <!-- similar text in the <textarea> section -->
+  <!-- substantially similar text in the <textarea> section -->
 
   <p>The <dfn
   title="attr-input-placeholder"><code>placeholder</code></dfn>
   attribute represents a <em>short</em> hint (a word or short phrase)
-  intended to aid the user with data entry. A hint could be a sample
-  value or a brief description of the expected format. The attribute,
-  if specified, must have a value that contains no U+000A LINE FEED
-  (LF) or U+000D CARRIAGE RETURN (CR) characters.</p>
-
-  <p class="note">For a longer hint or other advisory text, the <code
-  title="attr-title">title</code> attribute is more appropriate.</p>
+  intended to aid the user with data entry when the control has no
+  value. A hint could be a sample value or a brief description of the
+  expected format. The attribute, if specified, must have a value that
+  contains no U+000A LINE FEED (LF) or U+000D CARRIAGE RETURN (CR)
+  characters.</p>
 
   <p>The <code title="attr-input-placeholder">placeholder</code>
   attribute should not be used as an alternative to a
-  <code>label</code>.</p>
+  <code>label</code>. For a longer hint or other advisory text, the
+  <code title="attr-title">title</code> attribute is more
+  appropriate.</p>
+
+  <p class="note">These mechanisms are very similar but subtly
+  different: the hint given by the control's <code>label</code> is
+  shown at all times; the short hint given in the <code
+  title="attr-input-placeholder">placeholder</code> attribute is shown
+  before the user enters a value; and the hint in the <code
+  title="attr-title">title</code> attribute is shown when the user
+  requests further help.</p>
 
   <div class="impl">
 
@@ -62942,22 +62950,39 @@ interface <dfn>HTMLOptionElement</dfn> : <span>HTMLElement</span> {
   </div>
 
 
-  <!-- similar text in the <input> section -->
+  <!-- substantially similar text in the <input> section -->
 
   <p>The <dfn
-  title="attr-textarea-placeholder"><code>placeholder</code></dfn>
-  attribute represents a hint (a word or short phrase) intended to aid
-  the user with data entry. A hint could be a sample value or a brief
-  description of the expected format. The attribute, if specified,
-  must have a value that contains no U+000A LINE FEED (LF) or U+000D
-  CARRIAGE RETURN (CR) characters.</p>
+  title="attr-input-placeholder"><code>placeholder</code></dfn>
+  attribute represents a <em>short</em> hint (a word or short phrase)
+  intended to aid the user with data entry when the control has no
+  value. A hint could be a sample value or a brief description of the
+  expected format. The attribute, if specified, must have a value that
+  contains no U+000A LINE FEED (LF) or U+000D CARRIAGE RETURN (CR)
+  characters.</p>
 
-  <p class="note">For a longer hint or other advisory text, the <code
-  title="attr-title">title</code> attribute is more appropriate.</p>
+  <p>The <dfn
+  title="attr-textarea-placeholder"><code>placeholder</code></dfn>
+  attribute represents a <em>short</em> hint (a word or short phrase)
+  intended to aid the user with data entry when the control has no
+  value. A hint could be a sample value or a brief description of the
+  expected format. The attribute, if specified, must have a value that
+  contains no U+000A LINE FEED (LF) or U+000D CARRIAGE RETURN (CR)
+  characters.</p>
 
   <p>The <code title="attr-textarea-placeholder">placeholder</code>
   attribute should not be used as an alternative to a
-  <code>label</code>.</p>
+  <code>label</code>. For a longer hint or other advisory text, the
+  <code title="attr-title">title</code> attribute is more
+  appropriate.</p>
+
+  <p class="note">These mechanisms are very similar but subtly
+  different: the hint given by the control's <code>label</code> is
+  shown at all times; the short hint given in the <code
+  title="attr-textarea-placeholder">placeholder</code> attribute is
+  shown before the user enters a value; and the hint in the <code
+  title="attr-title">title</code> attribute is shown when the user
+  requests further help.</p>
 
   <div class="impl">